NICOLE TELLS US CODY HAS
SEVERE HEAD INJURIES AND IS ON
LIFE SUPPORT, BUT HIS FAMILY IS
HOPING FOR THE BEST.
NOW TO A HEALTH ALERT, AS THE
NUMBER OF MEASLES CASES IN OUR
AREA CONTINUE TO GROW.
WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OF THE
-- COVERAGE TONIGHT.
WE BEGIN WITH TREVOR AULT WHO'S
LIVE IN CLARK COUNTY.
GOOD AFTERNOON.
WE HAVE HEARD FROM DOCTORS WHO
SAY MEASLES IS THE MOST
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE ON THE PLANET
AND WE ARE WATCHING THE NUMBERS
GET HIGHER AND HIGHER.
THERE ARE NOW 35 CONFIRMED CASES
AND COUNTING, THE VAST MAJORITY
HERE IN CLARK COUNTY.
PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR DR. ALAN
MELNICK SAYS OF THE CONFIRMED
CASES, ALL BUT ONE ARE KIDS, AND
HE KNOWS AT LEAST 31 OF THEM ARE
UNVACCINATED.
THERE ARE ALSO 9 MORE SUSPECTED
CASES AS WELL.
THESE NUMBERS HAVE GOTTEN HIGHER
AFTER MEASLES WAS CONSIDERED
ERADICATED.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE
COUNTY HAS A CONFIRMED CASE
SINCE 2011.
THEY SHOULD
BE ERADICATED
FROM THE UNITED DATES, BUT WE
HAVE A LARGE UNVACCINATED
POPULATION AND ALL YOU HAVE TO
DO IS INTRODUCE ONE CASE CAPS
OFF LIKE WILDFIRE
.
AND AS THERE ARE NEW CASES,
THERE MAY BE NEW LOCATIONS WHERE
YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND THEY
ARE SOME HEAVILY TRAFFIC SPOTS,
THE TRADER JOES AND THE DOLLAR
TREE ON SOUTHEAST.
THOSE ARE IN THE SAME STRIP
MALL, AND THIS WALMART
SUPERCENTER HERE ON NORTHEAST
FOURTH PLAIN, ALSO LAST MONDAY
AFTERNOON.
PLUS THE VANCOUVER WIC OFFICE,
, AND EVEN OMSI DOWN IN
PORTLAND, SATURDAY BETWEEN 2:30
AND 7:00 A TIME WHEN SO MANY
, FAMILIES VISIT.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR IN
CLARK COUNTY BLAMED
MISINFORMATION FOR THE RISE IN
UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AND IT'S
COSTING THE COUNTY.
HE SAID AS OF YESTERDAY THIS
OUTBREAK HAS COST $177,000 AND
COUNTING.
IT WOULD SURPRISE HIM IF THIS
ENDED UP COSTING CLARK COUNTY
MORE THAN $1 MILLION BECAUSE
HE
RANKS THE NUMBER OF CASES IS
JUST GOING TO GROW.
THE INCUBATION.
-- THE INCUBATION PERIOD FOR
MEASLES CAN TAKE AS LONG AS 3
WEEKS.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO
THE VIRUS LAST WEEK MAY NOT SHOW
SYMPTOMS UNTIL MID-FEBRUARY.
MEANWHILE, WASHINGTON
LAWMAKERS HAVE INTRODUCED A BILL
THAT WOULD ELIMINATE THE
PERSONAL EXEMPTION FOR THE MMR
VACCINE.
THE BILL WAS SPONSORED BY
REPRESENTATIVE PAUL HARRIS FROM
VANCOUVER.
HIS BILL WOULD NOT APPLY TO
OTHER REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS AND
THE MEDICAL AND RELIGIOUS
EXEMPTIONS WOULD REMAIN.
FIRST, IT WAS
LIMITED TO
WASHINGTON AND NOW THERE IS AT
LEAST ONE CONFIRMED MEASLES CASE
HERE IN THE PORTLAND AREA.
OUR LISA BALICK IS FOLLOWING
THIS AND JOINS US LIVE FROM
SOUTHEAST PORTLAND.
I WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM TODAY
THAT THE ONE PERSON WHO HAS THE
MEASLES TODAY IS A CHILD IN WE
UNDERSTAND HE LIKELY GOT IT FROM
SOMEONE IN CLARK COUNTY.
THE CONCERN IS THAT THE VIRUS
WILL SPREAD HER OUT THE PORTLAND
AREAS AS WELL AND HEALTH
AUTHORITIES ARE WORKING TO TRACK
IT DOWN THE PLACES BEFORE THEY
WERE DIAGNOSED TO LET OTHERS --
BEFORE THEY WERE DIAGNOSED TO
NOTIFY OTHERS OF POSSIBLE
EXPOSURE TO MEASLES, AS WELL AS
ASKING THOSE WHO WERE AROUND THE
CHILD TO STAY HOME AND WATCH FOR
SYMPTOMS IF THEY ARE NOT
VACCINATED.
OUR CASE JUST HAD AN
ON-SITE
AND YOU DON'T SEE A RASH
DEVELOPING UNTIL ABOUT TWO WEEKS
FOLLOWING EXPOSURE, SO WE WILL
BE FALLING -- FOLLOWING ALL
THOSE EXPOSED PEOPLE FOR SOME
TIME.
[NO AUDIO]
TO GET AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF
THE MEASLES VACCINE.
KIDS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD 2
DOSES BY THE TIME THEY ENTER
SCHOOL.
THERE WAS A POSSIBLE CASE IN
MARION COUNTY BUT I'M TOLD THEY
, TESTED NEGATIVE.
AT THIS POINT, WE JUST HAVE ONE
HERE IN THE PORTLAND AREA, BUT
THEY ARE EXPECTING MORE.